Preschool Graduation Ceremony Again

Yes. It is that time of year when we all celebrate our children’s accomplishments in school. Both of my children regularly exceed my expectations in most areas of their life and receive my praise daily. With that being said, do I subject my husband and son to another preschool graduation ceremony for my daughter?

My daughter will be graduating from preschool this week. She missed the cut-off for kindergarten; as a result she will graduate from preschool again. Last year we made a big affair out of her graduation. This year things are different and I am considering attending the event without my husband and son. Is that unfair to my daughter? Of course I can answer both yes and no to that question.

When I was in school we did not celebrate graduating from each class. In fact, it was expected from me as well as all A’s and perfect attendance (that’s another topic). My family and I would go to Friendly’s for ice cream to celebrate the last day of school – that’s it. So do I ask my husband to take a day off and pull my son out of school to watch her graduate again; or, do I attend the ceremony and make it a special day for her and me?

Another thing to consider is that other children will have both parents and that may make my daughter feel different, possibly less special. I know that is not the case but reality and her perception may not be the same. Sadistically I do believe in depriving my children to a certain extent. I want them to experience disappointment just enough that when it comes their way they can accept it without a major meltdown.

So, back to my dilemma, what should I do about another graduation? I don’t think there is necessarily a wrong answer, but I chose to pull my son out of school and he and I attended the ceremony – my husband went to work as we decided a better use of his vacation day would be to spend it at the beach.

Get Ready, Get Set, Go to Kindergarten

Kindergarten is the start of the thirteen year journey your child will embark on to obtain the necessary knowledge to function in society – seventeen or more years if your child attends college. Kindergarten should be a place that your child will learn, develop self-esteem and increase their knowledge and skills.

Impressions made in kindergarten will impact your child’s view on school. Keep it positive and fun! Here are some areas to get your child “kindergarten ready.”

Oral Language and vocabulary

A fancy way of saying talk and read to your child. Ask and answer questions about every day experiences and the books you are reading. Encourage your child to communicate with other children. If possible, schedule play dates with other children entering kindergarten.

Concepts About Print

You didn’t just pick up a book and begin reading. Well maybe you did but I didn’t. When reading a book, explain simple concepts. Show your child the title and talk about the cover’s picture. Show her how we read left to right, top to bottom. Let her turn the page. Use your fingers or even better have your child move her finger as you read the words. As simple as this sounds show her where you start to read and where the story ends.

Phonemic Awareness

Now that’s a mouthful. At a first glance you may think this concept deals with phonics. It does not; it is auditory. Phonemic awareness is the ability to hear and speak individual sounds. Simply stated, what sound does your child hear when he says a word? Ask your child, what are the sounds you hear when you say Mom? Focus on activities that emphasize rhyming. For example, sing a song or read nursery rhymes.

Letter Identification

This is really that easy. Work with your child on her ability to recognize the letters of the alphabet. Singing the alphabet song and reading books that focus on the letters of the alphabet are a couple common letter identification activities.

Phonics

Addresses the relationship between each letter and its sound. Work with your child on knowing the basic phonic sound of the letters of the alphabet. You can use flash cards or for more enjoyment for the whole family play Er-u-di-tion – the blue cards were designed specifically to teach the letters of the alphabet and their basic phonic sound. Of course, I had to endorse my family’s game!

Word Recognition

A no brainer. Work with your child on recognizing common words (a.k.a. sight words). I would again recommend playing Er-u-di-tion but of course, I am biased. Another way to assist your child in recognizing common words is to point them out when reading. In addition, I recommend visiting our free sight word games page.

I am fortunate to reside in an excellent school district that provides parents with some tools on the above items. I will receive homework for my daughter to complete this summer to assist her when she attends kindergarten in August. Look for subsequent blogs for some fun activities and valuable information.

Kindergarten Orientation - What to Expect

It’s that time of year when you bring your child to visit their new school and meet the teachers. We went to an orientation last week, which was very informative. These forums assist both the parents and children in their transition to a new environment and provide a little insight into the kindergarten curriculum.

Some things to remember to bring when you are heading to your kindergarten orientation:

* Proof of physical exams – our county requires both medical and dental records
* Proof of residency – bring a real estate bill or current lease contract
* Proof of age - child’s birth certificate or passport
* Proof of identity of custodial parent – drivers license or photo ID
* Completed emergency forms

My daughter enjoyed the orientation. She participated in four centers; oblivious to the fact she was being observed by the teachers. The centers ranged from reading a book and her ability to answer questions to counting goldfish to coloring within the lines to planting a flower and following the sequential steps. Prior to the conclusion of the orientation, the soon to be kindergarteners left to go on a bus ride while the parents watched a power point presentation on summer homework (that’s right my 5 ½ year old will have homework this summer).

My recent kindergarten orientation experience raised two issues that I will address in subsequent posts:

Child and parent separation anxiety. Some children could not bear being away from their parent. One mother left the school because her daughter couldn’t stop crying –it was heartbreaking to watch! In subsequent blogs, I will provide some insight on how to best handle this situation.

Summer homework and kindergarten curriculum. Some children may benefit from summer homework. Fortunately or unfortunately, kindergarten will be much different for my daughter than it was for me. I fondly remember cookies, milk and naps and being returned to my Mother in time for lunch. My daughter will attend full day kindergarten and the expectations are significantly different. In subsequent blogs, I will share our six homework assignments as well as provide insight on preparing your child for kindergarten.